Scottish Executive

Air Services

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9063 by Nicol Stephen on 29 June 2004, whether it will publish its evaluation of HITRANS’ proposals for a Highlands and Islands air network; what the estimated cost is of the work commissioned from AviaSolutions, and by what date AviaSolutions must report.

Nicol Stephen: The evaluation of the proposals by the Highlands and Islands Strategic Transport Partnership (HITRANS) for an air transport network in the Highlands and Islands will not be published. The Executive will, however, share information with HITRANS with the common objective of progressing the proposals.

  Publication of the information in AviaSolutions’ report would not be in the public interest as it would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion including internal opinion, advice, recommendation, consultation and deliberation (Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information). The cost of the work was £35,000 and the draft final report was received by the Executive on 16 July 2004.

Crofting

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether sufficient resources will be made available in the Scottish Land Fund to deliver the expected demand for the crofting and community right to buy.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Land Fund is funded by the Big Lottery Fund. Discussions on the future structure of, and resources allocated to, the Big Lottery Fund Scottish Land Fund are taking place with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and we are feeding in the importance we attached to the fund.

Employment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many engineering jobs have been lost in (a) each local authority area and (b) Scotland in each year since 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information on number of jobs lost is not held centrally.

  However Table 1 shows net change in number of jobs in engineering and allied industries in local authority areas and Scotland in each year from 1999 till 2002.

  Table 2 shows number of jobs in engineering and allied industries in local authority areas and Scotland in each year from 1999 till 2002.

  Table 1 Net Change in Number of Employee Jobs 1999-2002 in Scotland and Local Authorities.

  

 
Net Change
1999-2000
(000)
Net Change
2000-01
(000)
Net Change
2001-02
(000)


Scotland
0.7
-12.5
-13.2


Aberdeen City
0.4
0.6
-0.6


Aberdeenshire
0.2
-0.4
0.8


Angus
0.2
-0.9
-0.4


Argyll and Bute
0
0
-0.1


Clackmannanshire
..
..
..


Dumfries and Galloway
0.3
0
-0.3


Dundee City
-0.8
-0.1
-0.5


East Ayrshire
-0.1
-0.1
-0.1


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0


East Lothian
..
..
..


East Renfrewshire
..
0.2
-0.2


Edinburgh, City of
-0.8
-1.3
0.5


Eilean Siar
..
..
..


Falkirk
0.1
0.1
-0.8


Fife
-2.1
0.6
-1.2


Glasgow City
0
0.6
-1.7


Highland
-0.1
-0.1
-0.1


Inverclyde
-0.8
-1.2
-1.3


Midlothian
0.3
-0.1
0


Moray
0
0.1
-0.1


North Ayrshire
-0.6
0.2
-1.1


North Lanarkshire
-0.7
-1.1
-0.8


Orkney Islands
..
..
..


Perthshire and Kinross
0
-0.1
0


Renfrewshire
0.2
-2.8
1.3


Scottish Borders
-0.1
-0.3
-0.1


Shetland Islands
..
..
..


South Ayrshire
-0.8
-1
-0.2


South Lanarkshire
3.3
-4.4
-1


Stirling
0.2
0
-0.4


West Dunbartonshire
-0.7
0
-0.5


West Lothian
2.8
-0.7
-3.9



  Note: ".." indicates where it has not been possible to calculate net change in number of jobs as the required values for number of jobs (shown in Table 2) are confidential. Confidential values are data which are not published in compliance with the 1974 Statistics of Trade Act. These values are decided on the basis of criteria set by the Office for National Statistics to avoid disclosure of individual companies and are highlighted on the data when it is published.

  Table 2 Number of Employee Jobs 1999-2002 in Scotland and Local Authorities.

  

 
1999
(000s)
2000
(000s)
2001
(000s)
2002
(000s)


 


Scotland
106.9
107.6
95.1
81.9


Aberdeen City
5.3
5.7
6.3
5.7


Aberdeenshire
3.1
3.3
2.9
3.7


Angus
2.3
2.5
1.6
1.2


Argyll and Bute
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2


Clackmannanshire
..
..
..
..


Dumfries and Galloway
0.7
1
1
0.7


Dundee City
4.7
3.9
3.8
3.3


East Ayrshire
1.6
1.5
1.4
1.3


East Dunbartonshire
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3


East Lothian
0.5
..
..
0.3


East Renfrewshire
..
0.5
0.7
0.5


Edinburgh, City of
7.4
6.6
5.3
5.8


Eilean Siar
..
..
..
..


Falkirk
2.4
2.5
2.6
1.8


Fife
14.1
12
12.6
11.4


Glasgow City
9.5
9.5
10.1
8.4


Highland
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5


Inverclyde
7.2
6.4
5.2
3.9


Midlothian
0.5
0.8
0.7
0.7


Moray
0.3
0.3
0.4
0.3


North Ayrshire
4
3.4
3.6
2.5


North Lanarkshire
7.7
7
5.9
5.1


Orkney Islands
..
..
..
..


Perthshire and Kinross
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4


Renfrewshire
6.6
6.8
4
5.3


Scottish Borders
1
0.9
0.6
0.5


Shetland Islands
..
..
..
..


South Ayrshire
4.5
3.7
2.7
2.5


South Lanarkshire
10.5
13.8
9.4
8.4


Stirling
0.5
0.7
0.7
0.3


West Dunbartonshire
2.2
1.5
1.5
1


West Lothian
7.7
10.5
9.8
5.9



  Note: ".." indicates where values are confidential. Confidential values are data which are not published in compliance with the 1974 Statistics of Trade Act. These values are decided on the basis of criteria set by the Office for National Statistics to avoid disclosure of individual companies and are highlighted on the data when it is published.

Employment

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most up-to-date comparative figures are that it has on the size of total public sector employment as a percentage of total employment in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) the United Kingdom on a full-time equivalent and like-for-like basis, using as wide a definition of the public sector as possible and providing as much recent trend data as is available.

Mr Jim Wallace: Table 1 reports figures showing the percentage of the total work force employed in the public sector. The number of full-time equivalent employees is not available so the total number in employment has been used.

  Table 1: Proportion of Employees Who Work in the Public Sector

  

 
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
United Kingdom


1994
29.8%
28.7%
31.1%
24.3%


1995
30.2%
27.6%
30.5%
23.7%


1996
28.3%
27.4%
29.9%
24.0%


1997
27.5%
27.0%
30.1%
23.0%


1998
27.5%
27.7%
30.6%
22.8%


1999
26.8%
28.7%
30.1%
22.8%


2000
27.8%
27.8%
28.3%
23.0%


2001
27.5%
29.9%
29.8%
23.3%


2002
27.7%
28.1%
30.9%
23.2%


2003
27.5%
28.2%
29.2%
23.2%



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Spring Quarters

  The Labour Force Survey defines the public sector as:

  Nationalised industry or state pension;

  Central government, Civil Services, armed forces;

  Local Government or council (including police, fire services and local authority controlled schools or colleges);

  University, Polytechnic or other grant funded educational establishment;

  Health authority or NHS trust, or

  Other kind of organisations.

  The Labour Force Survey defines the private sector as:

  Public Company, plc, or

  Charity, voluntary organisation or trust.

Health

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to implement European Directive 2004/27/EC, with particular reference to the provision of patient information leaflets in Braille for dispensed drugs.

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government’s Department of Health regarding the provision of patient information leaflets in Braille for dispensed drugs.

Malcolm Chisholm: Requirements for the provision of patient information leaflets are reserved matters which come under the remit of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

  Council Directive 2004/27/EC will be transposed into UK national legislation by 30 October 2005. Discussions are currently underway between officials in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency who are responsible for implementing the legislation, patient organisations, the pharmaceutical companies and other regulatory agencies in Europe on the available expertise in this area. Changes in the law will be subject to a full public consultation throughout the UK.

Higher Education

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure access to all post-graduate courses at higher education institutes through appropriate student support.

Mr Jim Wallace: Whilst limited public funding for post-graduate study is provided for some students, it has never been the policy of this or any previous Government that every student accepted for a post-graduate course of study or research at higher education institutions should automatically receive support from public funds. Most post-graduate students will have received student support as of right during their undergraduate studies, but direct Government-funded support at the post-graduate level has always been highly selective. Current funding arrangements are geared towards maintaining the excellence of UK research and contributing to the supply of highly trained manpower. Many students at this level obtain loans from banks, seek sponsorship, receive help from educational trusts or pursue their studies on a part-time basis.

  We have no plans to ensure access to all post-graduate courses at higher education institutions through government-funded student support.

National Health Service

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been of the NHS Argyll and Clyde consultation on its clinical strategy review.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of producing the video and DVD used by NHS Argyll and Clyde in the consultation on its clinical strategy review.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of (a) staff, (b) accommodation and (c) publicity and advertising for NHS Argyll and Clyde’s consultation on its clinical strategy review.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses have been received to date by NHS Argyll and Clyde to the consultation on its clinical strategy review, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally but is available from NHS Argyll and Clyde.

National Health Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards have developed change and innovation plans and, of these plans, which have been (a) accepted and (b) referred back for revision and what the reasons were for such referrals

Malcolm Chisholm: Eighteen NHS boards have developed change and innovation Plans. Fifteen are Unified NHS boards and three are special boards (the State Hospital, National Services Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service).

  All 2003-04 plans were accepted with only minor alterations being suggested or requested and none were sent back for any significant revision.

  All 2004-05 plans, other than that for the State Hospital, have been accepted. The State Hospital has been asked to provide more detail in their change and innovation plan.

National Health Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been distributed through the Change and Innovation Fund in each of the last two years, broken down by NHS board and hospital.

Malcolm Chisholm: The answer to the question asked is set out in the following table.

  Information is not available centrally on how funding for change and innovation is distributed within NHS board areas. Each board’s Change and Innovation Plan details the activity that they will undertake and, in some cases, this is identified by area.

  

NHS Board area
Total Funding for Change and Innovation in 2003-04
Total Funding for Change and Innovation in 2004-05


Argyll and Clyde
£2.153 million
£2.153 million


Ayrshire and Arran
£1.892 million
£1.892 million


Borders
£536,000
£536,000


Dumfries and Galloway
£783,000
£783,000


Fife
£1.631 million
£1.631 million


Forth Valley
£1.296 million
£1.296 million


Grampian
£2.292 million
£2.292 million


Greater Glasgow
£4.803 million
£4.803 million


Highland
£1.101 million
£1.101 million


Lanarkshire
£2.621 million
£2.621 million


Lothian
£3.444 million
£3.444 million


Orkney
£106,000
£106,000


Shetland
£127,000
£127,000


Tayside
£2,010 million
£2.010 million


Western Isles
£204,000
£204,000


National Services Scotland
£722,000
£722,000


Scottish Ambulance Service
£545,000
£545,000


The State Hospital
£106,000
£0


Total Funding
£26.372 million
£26.266 million

Publishing

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Scottish Arts Council’s report Review of Publishing – A review of Scottish publishing in the 21st Century – summary report and any consequent additional funding, what sums will be made available for the direct support of publishing and publications; what sums have been, or will be, allocated to the administrative support bodies for publishing; what sums will be allocated for the employment of more staff in the publishing sector; what sums will be allocated to further consultation papers, and how the results of any expenditure in the publication of Scottish literature will be audited and what financial controls will be exercised and by whom.

Mr Frank McAveety: I have asked Graham Berry, Director of the Scottish Arts Council (SAC), to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SAC has allocated an additional £215,000 in 2004-05 to implement a number of the review’s recommendations. This one-off additional sum will bring the total SAC budget for literature in 2004-05 to £2,226,285.

  From this additional sum, £100,000 will be provided in 2004-05 to support block grants and programme publishing, bringing the SAC support for publications to £309,500.

  The remaining £115,000 is to be made available as a one-off grant to the Scottish Publishers Association for organisational restructuring in response to the recommendations of the review. The SAC budget available to the administrative support bodies for publishing is, therefore, increased to £430,000 in 2004-05. Staff employment within the publishing sector is a matter for the sector itself.

  The SAC is currently considering the review’s recommendations for further consultancies and/or studies. All grants are monitored by the SAC.

Sexual Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new cases of sexually transmitted infections have been reported in each of the last five years in each NHS board area, broken down by disease.

Malcolm Chisholm: The total number of laboratory reports of sexually transmitted infections in Scotland reported to the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) from 1999 to 2003 by NHS board is as follows:

  

Genital Chlamydia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

NHS Board
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Argyll and Clyde
283
375
524
832
1,014


Ayrshire and Arran
290
275
356
814
888


Borders
70
52
51
48
189


Dumfries and Galloway
118
282
328
408
387


Fife
1
512
524
858
1,002


Forth Valley
328
355
442
373
596


Grampian
731
1,164
1,236
1,348
1,429


Greater Glasgow
1,353
1,691
2,406
2,295
3,113


Highland
361
500
531
627
630


Lanarkshire
254
401
731
895
888


Lothian
1,297
1,207
2,433
2,744
2,974


Orkney
2
10
41
45
55


Shetland
6
8
24
33
41


Tayside
596
822
953
1,069
1,192


Western Isles
0
0
0
3
9


Unspecified
0
0
56
0
0


Total
5,690
7,654
10,636
12,392
14,407



  

Genital Herpes Simplex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

NHS Board
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Argyll and Clyde
23
20
2
31
45


Ayrshire and Arran
25
20
0
18
41


Borders
5
5
3
18
22


Dumfries and Galloway
10
15
0
17
28


Fife
0
1
0
0
82


Forth Valley
55
54
0
31
62


Grampian
99
121
140
138
139


Greater Glasgow
258
254
396
218
297


Highland
65
64
100
77
92


Lanarkshire
27
24
0
28
31


Lothian
283
253
297
298
366


Orkney
2
3
6
0
3


Shetland
0
2
0
0
2


Tayside
84
73
85
63
98


Western Isles
1
1
2
3
2


Unspecified
0
0
2
0
0


Total
937
910
1,033
940
1,310



  

Gonorrhoea
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

NHS Board
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Argyll and Clyde
28
37
40
47
24


Ayrshire and Arran
3
10
21
31
16


Borders
0
0
0
7
1


Dumfries and Galloway
28
42
21
13
27


Fife
24
35
28
9
33


Forth Valley
28
41
33
18
31


Grampian
64
92
82
74
78


Greater Glasgow
154
266
264
239
249


Highland
24
33
43
34
13


Lanarkshire
21
45
46
31
31


Lothian
139
195
184
254
283


Orkney
0
1
0
0
2


Shetland
0
0
0
0
0


Tayside
26
51
55
64
36


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
1


Unspecified
0
0
0
0
0


Total
539
848
817
821
825



  

Syphilis3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

NHS Board
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Argyll and Clyde
n/a
0
1
3
3


Ayrshire and Arran
n/a
0
0
1
0


Borders
n/a
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
n/a
0
0
0
0


Fife
n/a
0
3
1
0


Forth Valley
n/a
0
1
0
0


Grampian
n/a
0
0
0
6


Greater Glasgow
n/a
4
8
24
39


Highland
n/a
0
0
0
0


Lanarkshire
n/a
0
0
0
4


Lothian
n/a
0
0
14
15


Orkney
n/a
0
0
0
0


Shetland
n/a
0
0
0
0


Tayside
n/a
0
0
0
2


Western Isles
n/a
0
0
0
0


Unspecified
n/a
0
0
0
2


Total
n/a
4
13
43
71



  Source: The Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health - August 2004.

  Notes:

  1. These data represent the total number of new laboratory confirmed diagnoses made for each organism on a yearly basis. It is not possible to extract data on new episodes of the same infection for any particular individual over the course of a year or over this five year period.

  2. "NHS Board" refers to the board from which the patient was referred for testing.

  3. Enhanced surveillance for infectious syphilis began in Scotland in late 2002, with data retrospectively collected to 2000. No data for Aberdeen GUM clinic were available for 2001 and 2002. There were also no data available from Edinburgh in 2001, although there were an estimated one to two cases.

  It is against the background of the rise in sexually transmitted infections that the proposed National Sexual Health Strategy, which has been the subject of consultation, is being prepared. Other initiatives include Healthy Respect, the health demonstration project in Lothian, and the range of activities on sexual health carried out by NHS Health Scotland across its programme areas.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of the national transport agency will be with regard to aviation; what powers it will have in this area, and what rights it will have to give direction and guidance to the Civil Aviation Authority regarding flights within Scotland and the regulation thereof.

Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to his question S2W-9413 on 28 July 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .